In the rough-and-tumble ocean environment, mussels sure show some muscle. Despite crashing waves, these mighty mollusks manage to stay put, thanks to the energy-dissipating byssal threads they use to lash themselves to rocks and other surfaces. Much of these threads’ staying power comes from their outer cuticle, a biological polymer that’s hard and resists abrasion. Now, a team led by Matthew J. Harrington of Max Planck Institute, in Potsdam, Germany, has used in . . .